Power-generating system.



E. ROSENBERG & E. W. MIX. POWER GENERATING SYSTEM.

- APPLICATION FILED 11212.23, 1907.

905,752. Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

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Witnesses: /n ven tors i V Edmond Rosepbecg, W. E my W1; y MW may.

E. ROSENBERG & E. W. MIX.

POWER GENERATING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED APR. 23. 1907.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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' an x, 9W 1 076w f [tn asses UNITED s'TA s EDMOND ROSENBERG AND EDGAR W. MIX, F PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNORS .TO GENERAL PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

POWER-GENERATING Specification of Lette'lj Patent.

Patented pa. 1',

Ap lication filed April 23, 1907. Serial no. scam.

is a specification.

The present invention relates to powergenerating systems wherein highpressure reciprocating engines exhaust into low-pressure turbines.

Our invention has for its object to provide an impi'oved power-generating system of the character above referred to.

In carrying out the invention a low-pressure turbine is provided having suitable wheel buckets and nozzles or other fluiddischarging' devices. -Mounted on the main.

shaft ofthe turbine is the revolving element of an electric generator. In addition to this a fly-wheel of suitable dimensions is mounted on the main shaft so that, as the supply of steam decreases or increases with respect to the normal or the load changes, it will oppose the tendency of the turbine and generator to change speed. There will be a certain speed variation in such a combination but the amount thereof can be reduced to small limits by the judicious selection of the fly-wheel. Preferably the fly-wheel is located in that portion of the turbine casing containing a vacuum created by the condenser so as to reduce rotation. losses.

Instead'of providing a fly-wheel separate in itself, we may add to the bucket wheels or other rotating parts, over and above the mass required for structural reasons,- the equ1va-' ployed, which may be arranged to operate in any well known manner. For example, when the speed increases the regulator may be arranged to increase the resistance in the field circuit, and upona decrease in ed the regulator may reduce the amount 0 resistance in circuit. The regulator may act in response to a centrifugal governor, or to a clo change in potential on the mains of the generator. In thecase of a direct-current generator the regulator maybeemployed to shift the brushes.

The speed of a lowressure turbine supplied by the exhaust rom a high pressure engine will with a fixed number of nozzles in service-tend towvary with changes in the pressure and amount of said exhaust from a certain minimum to a certain maximum. Where the regulation of the speed of the turbine is not so important, as for example where a voltage regulator is employed the number of nozzles in service will correspond to the mean delivery. Where closer regulation is the number of discharging devices in service may be controlled by pressure-actuated means or by a speed-responsive device. As an alternative construction we may govern the turbine by means of a throttle valve responding to speed .or pressure variations. It will usually be simpler and more satisfactory to have a means connected with the primary or high-pressure fall as the cageis moved or held stationa-r In order that the roper number of nozz e assages or other discharging devicesin the ow ressure turbine may be opened and to accommodate the exhaust from the engine, the controlling mechanism therefor can be actuated by the same lever that moves the engine throttle valve. This action may take place through the medium of electricity, elastic fluid, liquid or mechanical means, 'as desired. Other means for governin the turbine by the cable-winding mechanlsm of the cage will readily suggest themselves. For example, the indicator showi the position of the cage in the mine she may be arranged to control the area of the admission ports of the turbine as it moves from} lace to 7 -It is evident that a prolonged stop of the engine would t in the turbine stopping for the want of steam. I o provi e against such a condition, the turbine may be specially constructed witha portion arranged to receive highrpressure steam from a boiler, and a portion to receive low-pressure steam from the engine. When the lowpressure portion only is in operation, the

high-pressure portion is connected to the condenser so that the parts will rotate in a vacuum and the losses will be correspondingly small. Moreover, when only one portion of the turbine is receiving steam, the remainder is acting as a fly-wheel.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showin a reciprocating engine exhausting into a ow-pressure turbine; and Fi 2 is a longitudinal section of a combined, high and.

duit contains the valve 9 which may be taken as typicalof any sort of governing mechanism.

The turbine is employed to drive an electric generator 10 whichsupplies current to any suitable load. The turbine is connected by a conduit 11 with a condenser 12. In order to supply steam to the turbine when the reciprocating engine is not running or is supplyin less than is necessary, a boiler 13 is tending from the dome t ereof to the tur bine is a pipe containing a regulating valve 14 which may be taken as typical of any suitable form of governing mechanism for regulating the supply of high-pressure steam tothe turbine.

In Fig. 2 the turbine isshown in section. The wheel casing 15 isdivided by a diaphragm 16 into two parts, each part containing a number of stages, those above the diaphragm being high-pressure stages, and those below, lowpressure stages. The portions of the casing referred to are divided by diaphragms 17 into compartments, each compartment containing a wheel 18 having rows of peripheral buckets adapted to extract the. b

energy of the motive fluid issuing'from the admlssion nozzle 19 and the stage nozzles 20 of the high-pressure portion, and the admission nozzle 21 and the stage nozzles 22 of the low-pressure portion. Under normal conditions the high-pressurestages are cut out and the wheel chambers thereof connected to the condenser by the conduit 23, the valve 24 rovlded, and ex-' being in the open position.- The exhaust from the reciprocating engine enters the lowpressure portion of the turbine by the conduit 8. The diaphragm 16 between the highand low pressure portions of the turbine is by-passed by a conduit 26 containing a valve 27 that is normally closed. When operating under normal conditions,

the two upper stages will do no work, the

shaft being driven entirely by'the low-pressure stages. Assuming, however, that for some reason the supply of exhaust steam I from the reciprocating engine falls below a certain point or decreases altogether, thevalve 24 is closed, the valve 14 in the supply pipe from the-boiler is opened to admit highpressure fluid, and all of the high pressure will pass through both portions of the tur bine. Under the conditions specified, the supply of motive fluld may come entirely from the boiler or it may come partly from the boiler and partly from the reciprocating engine. In the latter case the steam from the separate sources remains unmixed until it flows into the low-pressure portion. When for any reason the pressure in the supply pipe'eonnecting the engine and turbine exceeds a certain amount, a relief valve will open and discharge the excess to the atmosphere or other exhaust.

Mounted onthe main shaft is a fly-wheel 28 of suitable size, and rotating in a chamber 29 of the turbine casing that is connect-. 'edto the condenser.

As before pointed out, this fly-wheel tends to prevent fluctuations in speed of the main shaft due to any cause;

7 In event of the turbine being arranged in two portions with live steam supplied to one portion and exhaust steam to the other, one governing mechanism may be used to regulate the-admission of'both supplies of motive fluid, and further to open and close the conduit to the condenser. construction ofthis kind that the variations in the delivery of exhaust steam to the turbine can be balanced wholly or in large part by means of a valve mechanism whlch admit-s more live steam when the amount of the exhaust decreases, and decreases the amount of live steam' when the amount of the exhaust increases.

In accordance with the provisionsof the' patent statutes, we have described the princ ple of operation of our invention, together with the apparatus which we now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; ut we deslre to have it understoold that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and

that the invention can be carried out by other means.

It is evident'in a What We'claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is.'

1. In combination, a high-pressure engine, a turbine'receiving the exhaust from the engine and actuated. thereby, the said turbine iso being divided into and low-pressure portions, means for admitting high-pressure fluid to the high-pressure portion of the turbine and exhaust from the engine to the low-pressure turbine, a condenser, and a weight or mass to assist in decreasing the effects due to fluctuation in fluid pressure whichrotates in a vacuum due to the condenser. 4 I 1 2. A turbine comprising high-pressure stages,vlow'-pressure stages,'a casin common thereto, a diaphragm between the i handlow-pressure stages, a valve contro ed bypass around the diaphragm, means ,admitting fluid from a source of sup ly to a high-' pressure stage from which it ows through the machine and a by-pass to the exhaust,

and a meansadmitting a. fluctuating lowpressure fluid to a low-pressure stage.

3; A turbine comprising high and lowgressure stages, a casing common thereto, a

iaphragm between the high-' and low-pressure stages, a b -pass around the diaphragm,

denser when they are not receivin a means in the y-pass for interru ting communication between the'high- -and low-pr essure sta es, a condenser, means for connecting the igh-pressure stages with the con motive fluid and a fly-wheel on the shaft 0 the tur- -turbine, alcondenser, and a is subjected to the effects of the condenser bins which is subjected to the efiects of the condenser for reducing its rotationlosses.

4. A turbine com rising a casing, a diaphragm which divi es-the casingmto ortions of hi h and low pressure, a con uit' forming a y-pass around the diaphragm and connecting the portions, a valve therein, a device admitting fluid to the highres sure ortion'of the turbine, a device a mit-' ting uid to the low-pressure ortionthereL of, a means for supplying id from an intermittent source to the fluid admitting device of the low-pressure or'tion of the wheel which for reducing its rotation losses;

.5. In combination, an electric generator,

a turbine connected to and driving the same,

a" chambered receptacle, a fiy-wheel located in the chamber, and a condenser which.

creates a vacuum in the chamber to decrease 5o 

